New Ninth Island Developments

The Seven Magic Mountains near Jean, Nevada. Photo by Barry Inouye.

It’s now the middle of 2016 and there are a lot of new things coming up for Hawaii’s number one travel destination, Las Vegas. For those who somehow do not know, Las Vegas is nicknamed the Ninth Island because it is considered by many a virtual extension of Hawaii’s 8 major islands because so many islanders like to travel there, often numerous times a year. To add fuel to Hawaii’s fire to visit Sin City, here are some new developments that are sure to pique the interest of travelers from the Aloha State.

Seven Magic Mountains – South of Las Vegas on the east side of I-15 near the town of Jean is the newly created Seven Magic Mountains art work. It’s the land-art brainchild of artist Ugo Rondinone where seven stacks of Nevada limestone boulders adorned with fluorescent day-glow colors have been placed in view of those traveling by car on I-15. The art piece was in the making for over 5 years and was funded by a $3 million grant. The uniquely colored 25 to 30 feet high stone structure stands in stark contrast to the surrounding subdued desert hues and will be on display for the next 2 years.

California Hotel Remodeling – The favorite Las Vegas hotel of many people from Hawaii has undergone a full scale renovation of the lobby areas, casino areas as well as the rooms. So kama’ainas (long time Hawaii residents) visiting “The Cal” may be in for a pleasant surprise when they first arrive there this time around. The renovations, which were completed in April of this year, are intended to offer a fresh new appeal, but with a decor its predominately Hawaii-based clientele would still be accustomed with.

IKEA Opening – This Swedish based, big box furniture chain just opened its first store in Las Vegas to massive crowds in May 2016. Even though it’s probably not practical for people from Hawaii to purchase furniture in Las Vegas, the store offers an extremely wide range of smaller household items that can still be taken on home on a flight. Also, IKEA is known for its legendary Swedish meatballs and other great and amazingly inexpensive food items sold in their cafeteria and snack bar. So we’re guessing that visitors from Hawaii will enjoy the food that is served here, particularly because it has two fundamental elements that people from the Aloha State love about their culinary choices: it tastes good and it’s cheap.

People from Hawaii visiting the new IKEA in Las Vegas. Photo by Barry Inouye.

Chick-fil-A Opening – The first two Chick-fil-A restaurants were supposed to be opened sometime this year, one in Henderson and the other on Sahara near the Strip. But much to the chagrin of chicken sandwich lovers who live in or visit Sin City, the scheduled opening has been delayed until early 2017. But if you’re in Las Vegas before then and have a hankering for some their delicious chicken sandwiches, you can still take the 90 minute to 2 hour drive to nearby St. George, Utah and patronize the Chick-fil-A outlet there.